$16,231.
That was our adjusted gross income for 2012.
$16,231.
For our family of six.
Now, I'm not telling you this information because I want to brag about how great of a saver I am; because honestly, I'm not. I'm telling you this information because I want to encourage you that it really is possible to be a stay-at-home momma who homeschools on a budget and still has a fantastic time doing so! My kids don't know that we were well below the poverty line last year. They think we're the richest family in America. And that's because MONEY doesn't define our family. Money doesn't give our family value, God does. And GOD provides. With such little income in today's world, you can easily see that God certainly provided for us in abundance last year (and every year!).
I just want to encourage all you momma's out there who are thinking, "How can we do this? How can we survive?" All you momma's who feel condemned and guilt-ridden because you don't have a so-called "real job" and you don't bring in much, if any income. All you momma's out there who are feeling like maybe you made a mistake by choosing to stay home and homeschool. I want to encourage you and say that YOU ARE DOING A GOOD WORK. No amount of money, or name-brand clothes, or the coolest new toys, or iPods and tablets will ever have more value in the life of your child than the character you're cultivating, the love you're nurturing, the wisdom you're instilling, and the relationship you're building with your children. I repeat, YOU ARE DOING A GOOD WORK.
Sometimes I get discouraged when I see the numbers... $16,321... and I think, "I need to go get a job!!" I try to take the financial burden of our family and place it over my head. I let it weigh me down. I let the enemy whisper lies about my inadequacy as a wife. I let my thoughts run wild over my failures as a mother. I question my ability to teach and whether I'm letting my kids' education go to waste. I get so anxious about proving that I'm doing something notable with them that I forget to be in the moment with them. Sometimes I get so discouraged that I just want to cry and give up. And then my husband reminds me of this little truth...I am doing a good work. He reminds me of Nehemiah. Remember him? He took on this monumental task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Yeah. Heavy stuff. This was no easy job. Not to mention, he had enemies that didn't want him to succeed. And there is a specific story in chapter 6 where Nehemiah is up on the wall, hammerin' away, and a group of his enemies try to get him to come down. Nehemiah responds like this in vs. 3, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” Hmmm. I am doing a great work, I cannot come down. My husband often tells me that I am like Nehemiah. I am taking on this monumental task of educating our children. Yeah. Heavy stuff. It's no easy job. And the enemy does not want me to succeed. And sometimes when I'm teachin' away, the enemy tries to get me to come down from that homeschooling wall and tries to distract me from that good work; whether through our lack of finances, tension with my husband, children who won't stay focused or just-don't-get-it, unsupportive friends or family, or pure exhaustion. The enemy does not want me to succeed in this good work because he knows it will result in four brilliantly kind people who love the Lord and want to serve Him.
So yeah, sometimes it feels impossible. I look at this thing called homeschooling and I see the walls of Jerusalem. How are we ever going to get this done!? And then I am reminded that through God ALL THINGS are possible. Jesus is the Sustainer and it is only by His grace that we make it from year to year. Financially, physically, spiritually, emotionally. It is only by His grace. Nehemiah finished the wall. In record breaking time I might add :) And through Christ, we can do this. So when you start to feel discouraged, remember that YOU ARE DOING A GOOD WORK.
Bye for Now,
Kristina
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